OSHKOSH (WTAQ-WLUK) – UW-Oshkosh has been treating its nine dorms like hotels for 42 years now during EAA AirVenture.
At some point this week, every one of UW-Oshkosh’s 2,100 dorm rooms will be filled, bringing in about 5,000 EAA AirVenture guests.
Marc Nylen the director of Gruenhagen Conference Center at UW-Oshkosh, tells WLUK campus employees call this week a ‘homecoming.’
“We have 48 of the 50 states represented, about 26 countries, just on campus.”
Genevieve Smith, a guest reservation booker, says they get to see guests who’ve come back year after year and meet new ones too.
“Get to meet and hear all their experiences. They love to talk about how they got here, where they’re coming from, how many times they’re here.” Smith says staying in one of the dorms will set you back $75 to $325 per night.
“It does depend on the room, whether you want air conditioning, or non-air conditioning, or stay in Horizon in a suite with a kitchen and living room and everything.”
Which adds up for UW-Oshkosh. Nylen says the campus makes well over a million dollars during AirVenture each summer.
“When you look at 5,000 guests spending an average of five nights on campus, per guest, it’s huge.”
And Nylen adds that in addition to the obvious financial benefit of renting out the dorms, this provides UW-Oshkosh another benefit: exposure for the campus.
“At our showcase event we say, ‘you can consider UWO, we have a four year aviation management degree program.”
But if you’re surprised people are paying to get back in a dorm room, you’re not alone.
And if next year’s bookings are any indication, Smith says a lot of guests think this is a great deal.
“I think we already have a wait list going for next year!”
On campus guests are able to use a shuttle to get around this week. Three buses line up at the commons every half hour.
